Rod Smith

Background

About Rod Smith

I am the Director and founding Principal of Beresford Advisory, a Brisbane-based resources sector consultancy supporting better decision making across the mineral value chain. A geoscientist by qualification, I have 40 years’ experience across all facets of the mining industry, from exploration and project development through operations planning and support to strategic planning and business transformation. A key focus is bringing siloed technical and allied skills and experience together into high-performing teams to find and unlock new value. I've worked with senior technical and operational leaders in strategic decision making, orebody productivity, mine planning process effectiveness, business transformations, supply chain optimisation and competency development. Through this I developed a diagnostic approach to planning and orebody productivity, including the Overall Orebody Effectiveness (OOE) methodology which is transforming the way in which mineral asset management is conducted. Most recently, as Chief Advisor – Planning & Scheduling, I established the Operations Research & Decision Science (ORDS) group in Rio Tinto, building internal and external partnerships in the field of industrial mathematics. I also served on the faculty of Rio Tinto’s Resource to Value professional development program for senior leaders and was a member of Rio Tinto’s Ore Reserves Steering Committee and Orebody Knowledge Leadership Forum.